Foxconn Resolves Latest Labor Dispute

By Brad Cook

Jan 12th, 2012 11:08 AM EST

Foxconn Technology on Thursday said it has resolved a dispute with 150 employees who launched a protest earlier this week that involved some of them threatening to commit suicide by jumping from the roof of a factory. Foxconn said most of the employees returned to work, with 45 of them resigning; a source cited by The New York Times said the workers were promised higher pay.

Foxconn manufactures products for Apple, HP, Microsoft, Amazon, and other tech companies and is the largest such supplier in the world. It operates facilities across China; the current dispute involved its Wuhan campus, which employs 32,000 workers. The company is no stranger to labor difficulties, which the Times said have been spreading to other Chinese companies too.

Foxconn has promised in the past to improve its working conditions, even going so far as to hire psychiatrists for counseling. The company said in a statement released on Thursday: “The welfare of our employees is our top priority, and we are committed to ensuring that all employees are treated fairly and that their rights are fully protected.”